AFL seeks answers from Demons in supplements scandal

Updated
April 19, 2013 19:23:00

The AFL has been surprised by revelations that the controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank appears to have advised the Melbourne Football Club on supplement use as well as Essendon. AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says this contradicts what the club has previously told him and he wants an explanation.

TIM PALMER: The AFL is demanding answers from the Melbourne Football Club after allegations it too called on the services of Essendon's former sports scientist, the controversial Stephen Dank.

ABC TV's 7.30 program broadcast text messages last night between Dank and the Melbourne club's doctor, which suggest Dank was advising on the administration of supplements to Demons' players.

The AFL's chief executive Andrew Demetriou has confirmed this appears to contradict what the troubled club has told the league.

Samantha Donovan reports.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Last week the AFL's chief executive Andrew Demetriou confidently proclaimed that Essendon was the only club under the performance enhancing drugs cloud so it was clear that last night's revelations on ABC TV's 7.30 program came as a shock.

ANDREW DEMETRIOU: Well I was a bit stunned because it wasn't expected and a lot of it was news - if it's correct - it was news to the AFL, particularly in light of the fact that we've had recent briefings with all the clubs and one of those briefings was with the Melbourne Football Club.

But as you would expect we've acted very swiftly this morning and the doctor will be speaking with the investigators this morning at 10.30 and if we require any other Melbourne officials we will.

DAN BATES (voiceover): When can we book guys for the injections? We will need to give them times. Dan

STEPHEN DANK (voiceover): Saturday's fine. Organise him to meet me at the pharmacy. Yes we can book the guys. We will do the guys Sunday.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The string of text messages allegedly between Bates and Dank appears to have ended abruptly, when Essendon called a press conference to announce it was concerned about its supplements regime and was asking ASADA to investigate.

The AFL then spoke with all its clubs and audited their supplements use.

Andrew Demetriou says the Melbourne Football Club had told him it hadn't employed Stephen Dank. He wants to know why the alleged extent of the relationship wasn't revealed to him.

ANDREW DEMETRIOU: There appears to be some inconsistencies with what we've been told and what may be in fact the truth. Again, we need to understand that this was- at the moment it is still a report on the 7.30 report. There's nothing to substantiate what's in that report but we will get to the bottom of it and if there's anything there that's inconsistent with what we've been told then we will tackle it then.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Andrew Demetriou says it may be that the supplements Melbourne players were allegedly injected with were WADA compliant. But at this stage he's more concerned with Melbourne's explanation to the AFL.

ANDREW DEMETRIOU: The issue of not fully cooperating and having inconsistencies is a really, really serious issue. Really serious. Particularly when we've been very public in telling everybody that we will not tolerate anything that goes to the integrity and the honesty in this game.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The Melbourne Football Club says Stephen Dank did apply for a position last year but was not successful. And he was known to the club through that process and to the club doctor, Dan Bates.

Melbourne acknowledges that Dr Bates and Stephen Dank did email, phone and text each other regarding supplements prior to the club's launching an investigation of its supplements program after the Essendon scandal broke.

The club says every supplement it uses is approved by the club doctor and is in accordance with all ASADA and WADA guidelines.

The former Telstra CEO Ziggy Switkowski has been asked by Essendon to review its governance and the processes in place last year as its supplements regime was rolled out.

One of the biggest questions that review is expected to deal with is how the unaccredited sports scientist Stephen Dank was allegedly given so much responsibility by Bombers officials.

Andrew Demetriou was asked today how Melbourne's doctor, Dan Bates, could allegedly have placed so much trust in Dank, who the text messages suggest hadn't met the players he was formulating treatments for.

ANDREW DEMETRIOU: That's a very good question.

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The Bombers take on St Kilda tomorrow, while it's a battle of the two bottom teams when Melbourne takes on Greater Western Sydney on Sunday afternoon.